


Dusk Till Dawn (JACKUNZEL FANFICTION)

by poppybubblegum



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: F/M, Jackunzel - Freeform, Jackunzel Week (Disney/Rise of the Guardians), Mortal Egines inspired, Post-Apocalypse, Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons, mortal engines - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:34:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25257757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poppybubblegum/pseuds/poppybubblegum
Summary: Jackson Overland travels far and wide to find the lost people of Corona to seek vengeance for his fallen home, Luna. Fiercely driven by the memories of his family, he meets a mysterious feral young woman named Rapunzel Flores. Two opposites, forge an unlikely alliance that is destined to change the course of the future.(Mortal Engines inspired)
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Gothel (Disney) & Pitch Black (Guardians of Childhood), Hiccup Haddock III & Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood) & Merida (Disney) & Rapunzel (Disney), Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III & Rapunzel (Disney), Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood)/Merida (Disney)/Rapunzel (Disney), Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood)/Rapunzel (Disney), Pitch Black (Guardians of Childhood) & Rapunzel (Disney)
Kudos: 4





	1. Prologue

  
**.**

You'll be the sun  
I'll be the moon–  
Just let your light  
Come shining through;  
And when night comes  
Just like the moon  
I'll shine the light  
Right back to you

.

.

.

.

Everything is set aflame.

Embers and Ashes flow in the wind.

The entire village burns in a sea of red and orange, and the cries of desolation echoes into the night. The young boy—weak and vulnerable—watches as the flames rip their way through the houses of innocent people, tendrils of smoke reaching desperately into the sky, as if trying to escape the blazing inferno below.

The events before this chaos flashes in his eyes. People are dancing, children are playing, friends laughing. They were celebrating a life of prosperity. Then the Onyxes appeared, destroyed everything they see; hills, trees, homes, tents... _people_.

The home he once knew, is not the same anymore.

He had taken more than half of Luna, leaving the rest with nothing but scraps.

Luna has fallen, and so does its King.

_"Go!"_

How can someone be so...cruel?

_"Go now, son!"_

So... _Inhuman_.

"Jackson!"

Jack remains dazed—unfocused. He can only look straight ahead to the person calling his name, emotionless.

"This is no place to die, son."

His father emerges from the smoke, covered in soot and blood. His piercing blue eyes glimmer in shock and sorrow, but they only have each other now, and one of them has to be strong. His father reaches for his hand, and gives him a banner.

The Corona's crest.

"Find them..." he says, "Head East. Tell them about what the Nightmare King have done."

Jack grips it safely in his hands, looking at his father's eyes. He wishes to ask more – to ask his father to come with him, but no words came out of his mouth. The fate of Luna lies in his hands now, and this is no time to be scared. He has to be brave.

His father pulls him in an embrace, his mouth near Jack's ear, "Keep the necklace safe."

Jack had never longed for his father's embrace until now. For the last time, he is able to hold his father close, feel his warmth and inhale his scent. His father smelled of smoke and iron, but underneath all that, Jack can smell _him;_ Jack can smell _home_.

"I love you, son."

A group of onyxes neighs in the distance, followed by excruciating sounds of screaming.

"Go!"

With one last glance,

Jack runs.

From high above the sky, standing inside an airship, is Kozmotis Pitchiner, smiling ever so wickedly as he watches Luna crumble into pieces. His daughter is no different from him. Under her golden hair lies the blackness of her blood, and a heart of stone.

_Devils_ , the two of them are.

Some day,

one day,

Jack will get his revenge.

The sun will shine on Luna again.

.


	2. Dusk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is doing his usual everyday routine: find shelter, steal stuff. Everything went south when he meets a criminal being chased by a Bounty Hunter.

  
.

Long ago the ancient times, the Kingdom of Corona, and the Kingdom of Luna had already existed—who once were rivals, but now are allies. With Corona in the North and Luna in the South, these two powerful Kingdoms forged a union in order to protect the Outlands from the threats of the Lands Beyond.

As centuries go on, a new era approaches.

Advanced technology and enhanced engineering had dominated the world; and with these changes, The Kingdom of Corona and Luna alike, along with hundreds of cities that inhabit the Outlands, had adapted to the world's new way of life.

Life for the Outlanders is perfect. Yet even behind the goodness and purity of all things, may also be threatened by the force of evil, which seeks to corrupt and destruct everything it touches.

As fate wills it so—the weak perished, and the strong grew ever more powerful.

.

.

.  
Meet me where the falling stars live.  
I will wait for you day and night.

\- Alexandra Vasiliu

.

.

.

"That's 5 pounds for you, darling."

Jack looks at the lady.

"5 pounds?" He asks incredulously, "For 5 pieces of sticks?"

"That's 5 pounds to survive 5 days, son. Take it or leave it."

The nerve of this lady.

"Fine," Jack says through gritted teeth, "Haven't had a decent meal for a while, cut me some slack."

He snatches it from the lady's hand and walks away. With that, Jack pulls out one, takes a bite, and tucks it back in the pack. Jackson Overland has taken his breakfast, thank you very much.

The market is crowded than usual, and Jack has only been here for 2 days. Ever since he left Luna, he hasn't had any permanent living space. For 5 whole years, he's been moving from place to place, causing trouble every now and then, no less. As for his money? That's no problem. Jack has his ways, and we're not only talking about stealing.

The money with him right now came all the way from Berk—a five-day journey on different kinds of transportation, which Jack also did not pay for. The people of Berk showed him with astonishing hospitality, and he was offered a place to stay in.

The only constant thing he's been seeing for the last years is a WANTED sign poster of a man named 'Flynn Rider'—costing 50,000 worth of pounds at that. If Jack was to have a WANTED sign poster for himself, he'd be asking for more than 50,000 pounds.

While clutching the pack of sticks in one hand, he stares enviously over random people's bags stuffed with fresh meat; some with freshly cooked barbecue, warm noodles, fruits, vegetables...all kinds of healthy stuff. The closest he can get to them is to smell. He can't afford those sort of things. He can't even afford a pack of sticks! Despite that, Jack smirks, tossing another pack of sticks up and down. 5 pounds for 10 pieces of sticks—still expensive, but who is he to complain.

Jack does his usual thing in the whole day; explore bars, restaurants and all different places for public entertainment; hoping to find someone who can lead him to the Lost Coronians. It's been 5 years, indeed, but he has not forgotten. 5 years, and he's still looking for Lost Corona. Jack may crave for steak or cake, or any real food...but he hungers for nothing more than the taste of revenge. It's safe to say, that Jack might be one of a few who still believes in the existence of this organisation.

Kozmotis Pitchiner had ruled over Corona—one of the powerful Sister Kingdoms—and the Outlands years before he had finally destroyed Luna—the other equally powerful Sister Kingdom. It is believed that after this awful historic event, the survivors of Corona had created a new found society, assembling a League against the Dictator, Kozmotis Pitchiner. Yet without the real King and Queen, and the rightful Heir of Corona, people lost hope; convinced themselves that the Lost Corona is a myth—a _lie._

None of those had stopped him, and he won't rest until he had avenged his family.

Night time falls, and Jack comes back atop the rooftop, which he assumes as his 'hotel room' for the mean time. Jack checks his staff under the pile of straw blankets before hanging his legs over the edge of the building, taking a bite of a stick as he observes the city below—not as crowded in the morning, but still crowded nonetheless.

Jack had travelled far and wide, but he knows there's still a lot more to see out there—especially in the Lands Beyond. For the long time that he does, he realises one thing: it is quite lonely. It would be nice to at least, travel with someone. Had he met someone the past years? Sure, there were a few _fun_ things that happened along the way—dancing in clubs and flirting and all that, but Jack hadn't found the one.

Not yet, at least.

Among the chattering people below, all moving in one place, Jack spots a hooded person walking hurriedly in constant speed, stumbling and tripping through some people. He watches intriguingly, waiting for the man to reach his destination. However, when Jack sees him looking back every now and then, he realises that it is being followed.

Not so far away, a half-cyborg man, who Jack recognises as a Bounty Hunter—they are eligible to pursue wanted criminals—is inspecting the area as he walks.

"Looks like someone's in trouble," Jack says to himself, "This should be interesting."

Jack keeps watching, as if it was a movie.

A person points the mysterious man to the Bounty Hunter, much to Jack's disappointment. They are always easy to fool around with, Jack would always get away from them effortlessly. The man could have gotten away if it wasn't for that.

The hooded man sees this and conspicuously runs more hurriedly now, which only makes the Bounty Hunter spot him. They are both heading towards Jack's building. The man is a fast runner, he's almost losing the Bounty Hunter behind him.

Everything goes downhill when the Bounty Hunter throws something at him with perfect aim, and it tazes him.

.

.

The hooded man quickly recovers from the zap as he pulls the tazer off his coat, but when he turns himself over, the Bounty Hunter is already looming over him. He stands up with no fear, drawing his dagger out of his sleeves.

When they are about to charge at each other, a white-haired boy appears before him, and blasts ice against the Bounty hunter with a G-shaped Staff.

Jack looks over his shoulder and smirks smugly to the man, who returned no sign of gratitude. Instead, the man glares at him. Even though half of his face is covered, Jack can tell his nostrils are flaring.

What's he mad for? He just saved his life!

"You alright?" Jack asks.

"I don't need your help!"

Oh.

_Oh_.

It's not a man; it's a girl.

Jack stands there dumbly, not knowing that the Bounty Hunter is already creeping behind him. Thinking fast, the mysterious girl pushes him with force, making him fall painfully to the ground. The girl fights the Bounty Hunter with little effort—dodging his punches and his sword. When she gets the chance, she slices the only flesh in his body—the face—and blood trickles down his cheek.

The cyborg cries in pain, and before he can attack once more, Jack freezes his hand-sword...or sword-hand or whatever it is called.

"Run!"

Jack grabs the girl's hand and they run. They head to nowhere in particular—pushing and shoving people along the way, who curse at them as they go. Soon, Jack spots an alley way and pulls the girl with him. They don't stop running until they reach the end, which leads into a wide open space—the desert; the same landscape that Jack traveled across to this city.

A slow moving Shuttle train comes near—the one that goes around the city to pick up stranded people, which is free. Unsure what to do next, they look back to the crowd at the other end of the alley, and just as they are anticipating, the Bounty Hunter appears among the chattering people. Although it doesn't see them, they hurriedly jump into the moving train. The two of them threw themselves to the metallic floor, catching their breaths after just running for their lives.

Jack peaks through his shoulder. The girl pulls her hood and mask off, then lays her back flat to the wall. She doesn't look at him though, so he lowkey watches her as she breaths through the mouth with closed eyes.

...Pretty.

Her eyes opens slightly and their eyes meet. Startled by it, he quickly shifts himself up, clumsily keeping his composure. He grabs his staff and pats off the dirt on his jacket. Jack can't help it; she's stunning, even behind the sweat and messy brown hair.

"Why did you do that?" Demands the girl.

"Hm?"

"I could've handled it myself."

"Er, you're welcome?"

"Why did you do it?" She presses, asking more sternly now.

Jack blows through his closed mouth in disbelief, "Gee, I don't know maybe because he was trying to execute you, and me being a good samaritan being a witness to all that, came down from right at the top of a 10-story building just to save your ass."

The girl's face changes, as though she is satisfied with his answer, "Then you're a fool."

"A simple 'thank you' would suffice."

The girl huffs, ignoring Jack, and stands up out of the blue. He can only watch with suspicion. Covering her mouth with the mask, she says, "Thanks."

Jack opens his mouth to return a remark, but the girl had already jumped out of the Shuttle.

Jack panics. How can she leave him like that?!

He heads himself towards the edge, to see the girl getting farther and farther away from his view. Taking a deep breath—as if he is to submerge into water—he jumps off the Shuttle as well, though landing on the ground less gracefully than the girl did.

"Wait!" Jack shouts, the girl's moving further and further into the desert, making it hard for Jack to catch up.

"WAIT!"

Pants.

"STOP!"

"I SAID STOP!"

Jack stops shouting, it seems like he is shouting to the air. With the last few energy he has left, he joggles closer to the girl, who is walking ever so normally—like she hadn't just ran for her life. He scuffles on the sand, and grabs her by the shoulder. Next thing he knows, he's on the ground, the girl's knees laying astride his body, her dagger pointing dangerously on his neck.

"What the hell?!"

Her big green eyes glare at him as her hair falls to his face, "Why are you following me!" She snaps, threateningly pressing the dagger.

"Is the dagger necessary?"

"I'm being chased by Bounty Killers, so excuse me for being suspicious of a white-haired boy with an Ice-blaster Staff following me with no apparent reason," the girl says. Bounty _Killers_ , Jack echoes in his mind. She must be some kind of a dangerous fugitive. It's odd not to see a single WANTED sign poster of her, or see her face in the news. It's always the Flynn Rider guy.

"Firstly, I'm no _boy_. Secondly, as much as I am flattered by you thinking I'm a Bounty Hunter slash Killer; I'm not. Heck, I can't even fight like them!" he reasons, "I just wanna know where you're headed to."

"Where I'm going doesn't concern you." To his relief, the girl releases him and continues walking.

"Wait!" he cries, "Why are they following you?"

The girl ignores him, and Jack can only sigh in exasperation, "Do you even have a home? A city?"

"Once."

Jack's frustration fades. Kozmotis Pitchiner had destroyed her city too. Everyone loses their homes everyday, the ones here in the middle of the Outlands are just waiting for their turn. Kozmotis only made sure to destroy the Sister Kingdoms first; leaving the rest of the country helpless.

"I lost my home too," he says, attempting to sympathise with her, "I've been travelling far and wide then, and ever since Luna, I've never had a permanent home again."

That seems to have thrown the girl off-guard. She stops ever so abruptly from walking, and turns to him, "You're Lunar?"

Jack stops with a pant, and wrinkles his forehead to her, "Yeah, I'm Lunar."

"What do you mean _ever since_ Luna?"

Jack stares at her in confusion. "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Luna's gone," Jack confides, "Five years ago." Where had she been after all this years?

She gasps, and looks at him as if she had been shot by a bullet. Jack suddenly panics, "What? What's wrong?"

The brunette stumbles backwards, clearly shocked. When she uncovers her mouth, Jack can see she is on the verge of tears. Jack knows that look all too well. It's the look of _defeat_.

"I was looking for you," she says, "You were supposed to help us."

Jack sighs, "Well it's...it's gone now. I'm sorry we couldn't do anything to help your hometown."

"I knew it," she mutters, and suddenly, she walks away with a groan of frustration.

"Where are you going?" Jack calls out.

"I'm going to pay your grandmother a visit!" She says sarcastically, not bothering to look back. "What do you think? I'm going nowhere. I've got no home."

"Then I'm coming with you!" Jack says, coming right beside her.

"Excuse me?" She says incredulously.

"Two hopeless people with no family and home? Seems like a great pair," Jack smiles cheekily at her.

"I don't do pairs."

"Ah...the loner type, huh?"

"What are you doing?" She stops mid tracks, looking at him with disbelief. "Why are you still following me?"

"To be honest, I'd like some company tonight."

She vehemently draws her dagger out and points it at Jack, backing away cautiously. "Don't you dare come near me."

"I didn't mean it that way! Jes–did you think I wanted to sleep with you?"

Again, she points her dagger.

"Hey, hey, can we just?" Jack calms her down, raising his hands up. Hesitantly, he touches the blade, and slowly pushes it away without tearing his eyes from her. "Let's clear things up between us; for both our sakes."

Although she listens, she remains alert.

"It's not what I meant, alright? I didn't mean to offend you or anything...although I mean it truthfully. We're in the middle of a desert for crying out loud. I need to find shelter. _We_ need to find shelter."

She simply narrows her eyes at him.

"Then tomorrow, it's going to be a bright sunny day, we forget what happened tonight and we part ways as unlikely friends...deal?" Jack lends out his hand expectantly. It might be the last time he gets to hold her hand, so may as well take the opportunity.

The girl doesn't say a word, and hides her dagger in her sleeve once more.

Then she walks.

.

.

.

"I don't pay attention   
to the world ending.  
It has ended for me   
many times,  
and began again   
in the morning."

.

.

.

It's like the gods are in their favor.

In the middle of the desert, lies a healthy working jeepney (among other vehicles—mostly wrecked) with firearm weapons underneath the seats and a first aid kit. They might've hit themselves the jackpot, though they didn't travel that night. They agreed to spend the night there and leave first thing in the morning.

They both lay at the seats on each side, which Jack finds cool; it's like they're in a sleeping capsule fit for two people. In the silence of the night, Jack can hear her breathe from across the jeep. He can tell she's still awake.

"Are you sleeping?" he whispers, although hoping she isn't. Jack glances to his left, only to find her back facing him.

What a strange girl.

He wasn't exactly suggesting to sleep with her, but she seems to have rejected him before he could even ask. No one's ever refused him before.

"Yes."

"But you just answered."

Silence.

"What's your name?"

Still, there's silence. He reaches down to his staff, and pokes the girl's back.

"Go to sleep!"

"Not until I know your name."

After a moment of hesitation. The girl finally speaks, "Rapunzel."

A strange name for a strange girl.

"I'm Jack," and with that he turns himself to his side.

For minutes, Jack lays there silently, still wide awake. Clouding his mind right now is the possible events of tomorrow. He sure hopes he get to keep the jeepney for himself.

"Jack?" he hears her whisper. It was so soft Jack thought he had imagined it.

"Yeah?" he asks.

"Nothing."

It's certainly not _nothing,_ but Jack decides not to push her. He knows exactly what's going on in her head, "I'm really sorry, Rapunzel. For your homeland, and that Luna hasn't been there to help your people."

"It's not your fault," she says quickly, "and anyway, I've stopped looking long ago."

Just like Jack. He had considered abandoning his quest. As much as he hates to admit it, some days would make him lose patience—which is the most irrational thing ever. If Jack hadn't known better, perhaps he would even have the same fate as the girl; still clinging to the hope of finding the 'Lost Coronians' only to find out the one he's searching for is long gone.

"Can't sleep, can you?"

The girl doesn't answer, bringing back the silence between them.

"How long has it been since your city was destroyed?"

"My home wasn't... _exactly_ destroyed," she says, "I ran away from it."

"Why?"

She says nothing.

Jack pouts. Curiouser and curiouser. Why was she looking for Luna then?

"I've always wanted to travel. My father's a trained aviator and someday I wanna be just like him too. With my own plane and all," Jack says out of the blue. He can't sleep, and he hopes to make a longer conversation with her, perhaps a decent one.

"Isn't that what you've been doing the last 5 years? Travelling?"

_5 years. Huh, she remembered._

"Yeah, but did you think this shithole is the only place that exists? There's a whole world out there, you know, in the Lands Beyond? Countries with better lives than ours...with beautiful landmarks and mountains and beaches?" Jack chuckles. "I wish to see it for myself."

"Huh," Rapunzel simply says.

"I mean, I know we used to be like that too, but then Kozmotis Pitchiner happened," he adds, "What about you? Any plans in the future?"

She doesn't answer this time, and Jack lets it go, thinking of another subject. He just realised how stupid the question is. Luna supposedly might have been Rapunzel's future, and now it's gone, leaving her with nothing else.

"I lost my family," Jack says as a matter of factly, "when Pitchiner and his little golden daughter destroyed my home. How about you? How old are you when your mother died?"

"We're not gonna do this," she says unexpectedly.

Jack's head flickers to her, and their eyes met.

"Do what?"

"We're not gonna tell each other our sad stories."

He shrugs, "Maybe we need this—"

"No." She says, much more loudly now, "I can't help you...and you can't help me," with that, she turns herself around one last time.

Jack shuts his mouth permanently. Why must she be so difficult? They are to part ways tomorrow, what more is she hiding from him? Mysterious girl indeed.

Jack's starting to feel hungry again. A bite only takes 3 hours to make one's stomach full.

Because of that, Jack sleeps it off.

.

.

.

"Be gentle with me,   
for my heart hides  
so many wounds  
that never bleed."

.

.

.

Jack wakes up alone in the jeepney.

He should've seen it coming, anyway.

Rapunzel had left; took a few firearms with her, and a medical suture spray from the first aid kit. She didn't even bother to put it back in the compartment. Well, at least to Jack's favor, she left the jeepney for him. For some reason, Jack feels... _hurt_. Sort of betrayed even. But what did he expect? She barely knows him and he barely knows her.

He slumps down the driver's seat, and searches for his pack of stick which—which is not in his pockets...nor in his coat.

Stupid Jack! He left it in his last hotel room in the city.

Desperately, he looks everywhere in the jeeney's compartment to look for at least a single canned food—but there's none. Fortunately, there is a half-full hydro flask under the seats.

"Hallelujah." Jack says, and sips from the flask.

"Keys, keys, keys...ah!"

The engine roars loudly as he twists the key. Out of the blue, someone shouts to him.

"Drive!"

Wait...

Is that—

"DRIVE! DRIVE, NOW!"

Jack pushes his head out of the door, and sees Rapunzel running quickly towards the jeep. Confused at first, until he sees the thing that is chasing her.

"Run, Rapunzel!"

"Just drive!"

"Come on!"

Rapunzel throws herself to the jeep and climbs on Jack's door.

"DRIVE YOU IDIOT!"

And drive he did.

Rapunzel quickly catches herself as Jack advances. From Jack's mirror, he sees another Bounty Hunter. Only this time, it is riding an _Onyx_ —the most famous cyborg weapon that's exclusively a property of Kozmotis Pitchiner. This Bounty Hunter is more massive than the one before, and apparently more determined to catch Rapunzel.

"Who's this guy now?!" Jack shouts.

Rapunzel starts firing with poor aim. The Bounty Hunter's a complete cyborg. The only flesh in his body is his face; Rapunzel had to hit it.

"Woah! Woah! What are you doing? Rapunzel!"

To Jack's horror, the brunette had climbed her way up to the jeepney's roof, steadying herself as she hugs the roof.

"Don't stop! You understand?" She shouts to him.

Attempting to aim for the Bounty Hunter head, she fires again. The Bounty Hunter's getting closer and closer, and Rapunzel's fires are becoming useless.

"Drive faster!" She says desperately. The gun's had ran out of ammo, and they can only drive faster to get away from them.

The Bounty Hunter pulls out an arm—revealing multiple bladed metallic fingers stretching from his hands. He's been waiting for the right moment to make use of it, and Rapunzel lets him have that opportunity by stupidly using up all the ammo without even a single hit. Rapunzel's eyes widen as he starts attacking her with the blades. She dodges every arm that hits the roof, and hugs herself with hopes to shield her face.

She crawls back cautiously to reach Jack.

"Grenade, Jack!"

"What!"

"Just throw a grenade at him!"

Thinking fast, Jack pushes the auto-driving button. He digs into the bag of weapons on the passenger's seat, and takes out a grenade. With his teeth, he pulls the pin out and throws it at the Bounty Hunter. It explodes just right in front of the Onyx. While it is distracted, Jack takes out another gun for Rapunzel, and one for himself.

Jack climbs out of the jeep and lets it ride itself. Together, he and Rapunzel fires at the Bounty hunter. None of their bullets wound him, but it's enough to keep him unfocused—with bullets firing restlessly towards him. Like a jolt, Rapunzel remembers stuffing a Blue-Fog can in one of her pockets.

As for Jack, he triumphantly hits one of the Onyx's gold eyes and renders it to stop. Taking advantage of it, Rapunzel rips the can open and thick blue smoke emits from it. With the blink of an eye, the whole area trailing behind their vehicle is occupied by the curtain-like smoke.

Rapunzel turns around to attend Jack, but her eyes widen in shock by the sight of a nearby—

"CLIFF!"

Jack turns around, equally as panicked at her. It''s too late to switch the jeep to manual-driving, for they are only meters away from the edge.

"JUMP!" Rapunzel cries.

It takes Jack a brief moment to process it before following her orders. In one swift move, he jumps off the vehicle and lands painfully on the ground. The jeep falls into the cliff, and through his blurry view, he sees a huge explosion erupting. Jack suspects the cliff isn't as high as he expected since the explosion is visible. He looks around frantically through the bluish fog, searching for Rapunzel.

Not from very far, he sees her lying motionless on the ground—her back facing him.

"Rapunzel!" Jack nears her, and turns her over. She's conscious, but there's blood trickling from her nose. He hears a neigh in the distance, and quickly helps Rapunzel up. He drags her as she limps and leads them both to the cliff. Rapunzel's about to push them away from the edge, but as she sees the cliff isn't that high as she imagined, she climbs down on the slope with Jack. They hide behind wrecked vehicles and metal garbages.

From the edge of the cliff, the Bounty Hunter appears and watches their jeepney burn. Thinking they were burned along with it, he leaves.

.


	3. Sun and Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stranded in the middle of the desert, Rapunzel and Jack are forced to work together to survive.

.

  
If you want to run  
to a quite place  
at the end of this world,  
just run with me

\- Alexandra Vasiliu  
.

.

.

.

"Why are they chasing you?"

Rapunzel's doing her usual thing again; walking away from Jack like nothing had happened.

"That...That was an Onyx! Kozmotis's after you, isn't he?"

Rapunzel doesn't answer him, so he yanks her by the elbow, "Isn't he?"

She scowls at him then looks at his hands—both unoccupied with weapons.

"Where's your gun?" she asks.

"I uh..."

"And your staff?"

Shit. His staff. Jack slaps his face with his palm, making Rapunzel jump slightly by the odd manner. "...All of them went with the jeepney."

The brunette scratches her forehead, "Do you at least have sticks?"

Jack smiles sheepishly at Rapunzel, who squeals in frustration.

"Well, you have some for yourself, right?" He says as a defense.

"Yeah! I have enough to at least get me through 6 days. Now 3," Rapunzel says angrily, walking away once again. Jack scoffs and joggles to catch up.

"So you're meaning to share it with me!" He says teasingly. "I know you would leave me alone any time and any where you want, but deep down...you _care_ about me."

"Shut up or I'll change my mind."

"No, nu-uh. I won't shut up. You haven't answered my question yet," Jack says, stepping in front of Rapunzel. She however, fed up with Jack's obnoxious questions, slumps down on the ground and leans comfortably on the rocky wall—as if she's been living on that spot all her life. She rests the gun on her side. From her pocket, she draws out her sticks, pulls out one, takes a bite, and stuffs it back in. Jack looks at her incredulously.

"What are you doing?"

Rapunzel lazily raises an eye brow at him.

"You can't rest now! We have to find civilization!" He says, but Rapunzel merely shrugs, chewing on her stick.

"Fine, I'll shut up," Jack says irritatingly, pacing in front of her. Soon, he slams his butt onto the ground and murmurs, "why do you have to be so difficult."

Rapunzel chews on her stick silently, her pride slowly subduing with the sight of an irritated Jack. It's the first time Jack have been frank about his frustrations towards her. She looks at him thoughtfully. He could be anyone, and Rapunzel would still be mean towards them. No one has been stuck with her for this long—and it's only been less than 24 hours. She had attempted to leave him, but still here he is.

Jack hears her whistle, and she throws him her pack of sticks. Jack doesn't say a word. To be honest, he's speechless, he doesn't expect her to actually share it with him. When he reaches in for a stick—avoiding the half-bitten one—his eyes spot the expiration date.

Three-meals-a-day Sticks can go on for 50 long years, but this one...this one's _ancient_.

"Best before...2120? It's over a thousand years old!"

Rapunzel sees his emotion of disgust and shrugs, "They're sticks, they don't go bad."

Jack gives her a sarcastic look, "Do they, now?"

Nonetheless, Jack takes a bite and throws it back to her. It's actually...not bad.

While Jack's busy chewing, Rapunzel continues to...ogle at him. Indeed, she hadn't had any social interaction with anyone for a long time, having someone to observe closely entertains her.

"Pitch wants me dead."

"Sorry?"

"Pitch wants me dead." She reiterates, although more annoyed.

Jack shifts from his seat intriguingly, "Why? What did you do?"

She furrows her brows at him, "I did something and he wants me dead. Period."

"Gee, fine. I'll take your word for it." Jack sighs, "Must be something really bad, huh?"

"You have no idea," she murmurs.

_Clearly_.

As they rest on the ground, Jack takes out Corona's Crest in his hands. He'd doubted this crest a lot of times whilst on his journey. Whenever he sees it, it reminds him of his father. It became a relic of his traumatic past; but despite that, it urges him to move forward. As long as he has the Crest with him, he will not stop looking.

"Why do you have that?"

Jack whips his head to Rapunzel.

"This?" he asks, lifting up the banner.

"I thought you said you're Lunar?"

"I am. My dad gave this to me; and a Coronian friend of his gave it to him." Jack says.

Rapunzel rolls her eyes, "You do know Corona's 'long gone' _—_ or so they say, right? Why do you still cling to it?"

Jack shrugs, "...It gives me hope."

Rapunzel scoffs, which surprises Jack. "Do you even know what Corona is like right now? Or what's really going on over there?" she asks rhetorically, and looks directly at Jack, "I bet you don't; it's anything but _hope."_

"You've been there?" Jack asks, but Rapunzel stays quiet, hugging herself on her spot.

Jack contorts his face in confusion, but it doesn't take him another moment to realise. There's a reason why she's looking for Luna; and why she had no clue that it has been destroyed, and especially why Kozmotis Pitchiner wants her dead.

"You're Coronian, aren't you?"

Rapunzel doesn't answer, but Jack knows all too well.

Jack stands up all of a sudden, and Rapunzel looks at him in suspicion. Rapunzel prepares herself for the upcoming questions; _"How are you alive?" "How did you escape?"_

"So you know where the Lost Coronians are!"

"Wait, what?"

"You're...You're Coronian," Jack can't believe it. After 5 years, he had a found a Coronian—alive and well on that one. Rapunzel stands up this time.

"Lost what? What are you talking about?"

"The Lost Coronians," Jack repeats, "Some of your people were able to escape when Kozmotis invaded Corona."

"Who said so?"

"Everyone said so! My dad believes that these Corona survivors had created a League or a Rebellion against Kozmotis Pitchiner. You witnessed the rebel ambush in Corona 12 years ago, right? It was them! The Lunars and the Lost Coronians united once again to fight against Kozmotis! Though after they were defeated, Luna hadn't heard from them in a while. So right now I'm searching for them to let them know what had happened to Luna and remind them of their purpose; to fight against Pitchiner; to protect our country. Come, let's look for them together, they can help us—"

"No."

"Sorry, what?"

"I can't risk my life with a _belief._ I can't help you," she says.

"What if it's not a belief? What if it's true! We won't find out if we don't _look_."

"Then good luck on _looking_ , white-hair."

Jack can't believe it. There she goes again, walking away.

"So what, you're just gonna give it all up? Look how far you've gone! You may have not found _Luna_ , but you found _me_. We only have each other now. You and me. We can find Lost Corona _together—_ "

"I said NO!" She snaps, rendering Jack speechless. Slowly, she threateningly walks towards him, and Jack being a wuss, backs away with fear.

"Why would I travel this far? Why should I endure the dangers of this world just to get to Luna? Hm? We _needed_ your help! Wake up; look around you! There's no hope in this rotten place. You were supposed to protect our country, you said? Then why the hell is our _country_ like this? Did your daddy tell you to go find the 'Lost Coronians' to ask for help? Well, the Lost Corona you talk about is a _myth._ It's a trick to one's _hope._ Guess what: I've been tricked my whole life." she rants, her blood boiling. "Luna is gone—it's the only hope I've been clinging to, and it's _gone._ I've given up on my quest long ago; and you should too."

Jack looks at her with concern, searching for the right words to say...to let her _believe_ again. But he doesn't—helplessly watching the girl walk away, like she always does. Unlike her long prideful steps like before, her feet drags onto the ground...she just feels _lost_. Jack admits it to himself, and hell does he hate himself for admitting it to himself—he had given up too.

Unexpectedly, Rapunzel stops and turns back to him, "Look, you want to find 'Lost Corona'? Those tracks head East. I've forgotten everything that happened last night and this morning, and now I'm ready to part ways as unlikely friends. Good bye, Jack—whatever your last name is."

"Jackson _Overland_ ," he says.

"I just realised I don't care."

Jack runs in front of Rapunzel, "Wait! Just—listen, Rapunzel—"

"Don't touch me!" The brunette violently shoves the white-hair's hands from her arms.

"Look just...just until we find civilization, _please_. Or just help me find a ride—you'll never see me again." Jack says with a hint of desperation.

Rapunzel, however, got intrigued by his last statement.

_You'll never see me again._

That's all she ever wanted.

.

.

.

And like the moon,  
we must go through phases  
of emptiness to feel  
full again.

.

.

.

They've been walking for 2 hours now.

No city. No people. No water.

2 hours underneath the scorching sun. The cruel sun beat down, without even a wisp of cloud to soften the harsh rays. To shield themselves, Rapunzel has her mask and hood to protect herself; Jack has his jacket wrapped on his head.

2 hours and still on the same odd ground—between two steep slopes that they thought were high deadly cliffs. Jack has a peculiar feeling it was caused by _something._ Whatever it is, it's definitely not a force of nature.

Without the hydro flask? Jack's throat is becoming hollow and dry. His tongue feels like it is covered in fur, and his lips are chapped. Rapunzel seems like she's doing just fine—she's already a few yards away from him. Jack wonders if she's even human.

For a moment, it still hasn't quite sink in yet. For 5 years of travelling, and stealing, and searching...A Coronian appears to him at the least expected time. Although his glorious day of victory didn't turn out as the way he expected. Not that he's complaining about _Rapunzel_. It's just not exactly how he imagined it; meeting a Coronian for the first time—having a _lead_ for the first time. Also, she's not exactly keen with Jack's plan to search for Lost Corona together.

To Jack's surprise, Rapunzel stops suddenly, warily looking up the sky. Jack hears the sound of multiple aircrafts from afar. With one quick glance to each other, they hid themselves to the side of the slope. They were police aircrafts of Corona; probably ones that are being send off by Kozmotis Pitchiner. All three of them pass over them and suspect nothing from the quiet desert.

Like nothing happened, Rapunzel ventures on. Jack lets himself get left behind by the fast-walking Rapunzel. She walks with such pride, like she owns everything she walks on. Even though Jack can only see her back profile, with her coat, hood and gun, she looks _dangerous_.

"Can you slow down a bit?" Jack shouts to Rapunzel.

"You want to find civilization—keep moving."

Jack whines like a five year old, "My feet hurt."

"Get used to it."

"That's what I like about you. Your boundless sense of empathy."

At this, she stops, and Jack backs away as she tries to charge at him. "What did you say?"

"Forget it! Sorry, Not another word," he says quickly. He sighs in relief as she moves on, "Say uh, what's with the mysterious look?" Jack calls out.

Without looking back, she says, "What do you think? Bounty Hunters are hunting me—gotta stay anonymous."

Jack scoffs, "Doesn't seem like it's working, don't you think? Ever considered changing the look?"

This time, she turns herself around, walking backwards, "Like what? Dye my hair white?"

"It's natural!"

"Is it now?"

"Believe or not, Rapunzel," Jack chuckles, and for the first time, he sees Rapunzel chuckle too.

From the distance, Jack hears a group of engines and loud beeping horns. He turns around quickly, jolting back to his senses. The thirst he was feeling is now subdued with excitement. He climbs up the slope clumsily and lets himself be seen on the edge. His face lights up with glee, as several trucks appear not more than a kilometre away.

"HEY! OVER HERE!" Jack wiggles his arms up in the air in hopes of getting spotted and rescued. "HELP US!"

Rapunzel heard everything all the while, and her eyes widen in horror at the sight of Jack.

"Jack!" She yells, running to him frantically and climbs up the slope. The trucks are now driving towards them with great speed, and Rapunzel can only watch—terrified.

"What did you do!"

"Rapunzel! We're gonna get help."

As Jack keeps waving his hands, the big smile on his face suddenly fades when the trucks start revealing their firing machines, especially when they start aiming at them. With the clearer view, Jack realises they were weaponised vehicles; tall cars with four humongous wheels.

" _RELEASE!_ "

Someone shouts through a loud microphone, and multiple large arrows connected to a rope fire towards them. Rapunzel immediately hugs Jack and pulls him back down the slope with her. She lands painfully on her back with Jack on top of her.

"That was close!" Jack exclaims, mounting on Rapunzel with an astonished look.

"Too close." With that, Rapunzel pushes Jack off her and they try to find a place to hide in.

"What are those?!" Jack asks.

"Scavs, usually they hunt in the night," Rapunzel says in between pants.

"What are they hunting?"

The sound of the trucks grow nearer to them, and the voice in the mic becomes clearer, " _THEY'RE DOWN THE SLOPE!"_

"Us!" Rapunzel grabs Jack's elbow and runs.

"We have to get to the other side!" Jack says. He pulls her to the other slope and helps her up. She crawls quickly behind a block of sand to shield herself from the arrows. She hears Jack struggling to climb himself up. Left with no choice, she hurriedly crawls to Jack and reaches out her hand.

"Grab on!"

" _RELEASE!_ "

The trucks are riding like wild buffalos just right at the other side, and one of those had released a number of arrows again.

Rapunzel screams in pain. An arrow had hit the side of her thigh with great force, leaving a huge gash on her skin. Nonetheless, she's able to pull Jack up. Jack gasps at the sight of it, "Your leg," he breaths. She glares at him and groans in pain and fury. She limps as she starts running from him. Ignoring her anger towards him, he scoops her arm up and carries her by the shoulder.

Jack doesn't see it coming, another truck stops in from of them, but this one's smaller—unarmed. It contains a cab and a body, just like normal delivery trucks. The only weird thing about it are the cameras connected to every corner, and a satellite dish on the roof. The driver opens up the door by the passenger's seat, and calls out to them.

"Get in!" He shouts, and Jack obeys.

"No!" Rapunzel hisses, "He could be one of them."

The trucks behind them are still shooting arrows, and one of those are already trying to form a bridge to connect the two slopes.

"Quickly now!" The man in the car shouts.

Jack grits his teeth and drags Rapunzel to the vehicle, "Come on!"

Jack lets her in and follows. As the door shuts, they drove off.

.

.

Jack and Rapunzel squeeze themselves in the small chair of the passenger's seat, and Rapunzel's trying her best not to let her wounded thigh touch the man's cybernetic hand on the gear. She hisses as she ties it tightly with a piece of her mask. The man used another Fog spray to lose the 'Scavs' (as Rapunzel described). A curtain of green smoke emitted from the can, and he throws it out the window as it ran out.

The interior of the cab becomes more interesting: it is filled with miniature monitors, and several other gadgets that are peculiar to them. The screens showcases different angles from the outside of the vehicle. One of those shows the inside of the truck cabin.

"Crickey," the man says, revealing an Australian accent, "that's gonna leave a scar."

Rapunzel glares at him from the corner of the eye. He has tan skin, a tattooed arm, and his hair is dyed grey. He wears round red tinted shades, a bandana across the forehead, and a bohemian-patterned shirt that hides his athletic build, and even just sitting beside him, he seems to tower over the two of them. He balances a cigarette in between his teeth. Most of him is flesh, except for his cybernetic hand and eye.

"You might want to apply a suture spray on that," the man says, and searches his compartments after switching the vehicle to auto-driving mode, "I think I've got one here...ah! Here you go, chaps."

Jack takes it from him and touches Rapunzel's covered wound. She quickly grabs Jack's hand and she glares at him. "We have to spray it," Jack demands.

Rapunzel shoves his hand away, and without tearing her eyes at him, she reaches out from her pockets to take the suture spray she has for herself. Exasperated by her behaviour, he gives the spray back to the man with an apologetic look.

"You don't trust anyone, do you?" The man says to Rapunzel, who ignores him of course. She sprays it on her wound, wincing as the web-like substance touches the open wound.

"What are those? Why are they chasing us?" Jack asks.

"Scavenger Hunters. Most of those pirates started appearing since Kozmotis Pitchiner's reign," he says, "The name's Aster by the way."

"I'm Jack," Jack reaches over Rapunzel to shake Aster's hand, "and this ray of sunshine over here is Rapunzel. Thanks for saving us, Aster."

"It's no problem, mate," Aster says, switching the vehicle to manual, "Odd to see them in broad daylight," he says as a matter-of-factly, "I reckon they're hunt for the Flynn Rider guys's had gone hardcore. That lad gone up to a hundred thousand bloody pounds!"

"What's the deal with him?"

"Dunno, mate. Whatever it is he did, it definitely pissed Pitchiner off."

Jack's head flinches to Rapunzel, who is only staring ahead—still pissed off herself.

Their eyes trail to the same sunken ground they were walking on as they go. Aster had been following its track since they escaped from the Scavenger Hunters.

"You see this long wide subsidence here? It ain't nature, chaps. It's Kozmotis."

Rapunzel gasps, much to Jack's surprise. She leans in, inspecting it closer. "It's been here..." she whispers to herself.

"What? What is it?" Jack asks.

"He was floating, man. High up in the sky, it's like a floating city on an inverted triangle." Aster says, not making any sense at all, "it's like a super mega weapon that wrecked the whole land...all the way to a city not far from here. At least that's how the citizens there described it."

Jack and Rapunzel looked at each other.

"Are you taking us there?" Jack asks.

"Sure am. Half of it was destroyed, but luckily some of them survived," Aster says.

"When did it happen?" Rapunzel asks this time.

"About a month ago," he says, "Imma lead ya chaps to a room inside. Ya might wanna treat your wound, Shiela. The suture's not gonna hold on for forever."

.

.

Aster leads them to the entrance in the back. He's got all the necessities inside the cabin; he has a bathroom, a small kitchen and a sofa. Jack helps Rapunzel with her arm on his shoulder, while carrying a first aid kit.

"Help yourselves to anything in the fridge. And don't do some funny business—I've got cameras everywhere," Aster jokes and shuts the door.

After a moment of awkward silence, Jack spoke.

"You take the sofa, I take the," Jack stops to see Rapunzel already lying comfortably on the sofa.

"...floor," Jack smiles, and sits beside her leg on the bed, and prepares the first aid kit. "I'm going to treat your wound, alright?"

"I can do it—"

"No, you can't," Jack says sternly, "Please, let me."

Rapunzel doesn't answer, instead, she stares at Jack with wonder; wondering why he's helping her, why he hadn't left her yet when there's clearly no reason for him to be. All she's been doing is treat him like garbage. Then again, Jack can be anyone, and she'd still be mean to them—she'd still not trust them. But right now, looking at the white-haired man, she's glad that it's him. Rapunzel flinches violently as Jack peels off the suture, but sighs in relief as he applies a soothing gel on the gash, the pain slowly fades as he does. Jack wraps it with a gauze. When he's done, he slumps down on the metallic ground across her.

Jack curses himself under his breath.

"I'm sorry," he says softly, "This is all my fault."

Rapunzel stays silent, her eyes are closed, but her eye brows are crunched up together. Jack sighs; he deserves the silent treatment.

The longer he's spending time with her, the more curiouser and curiouser she gets.

"Flores." She says out of the blue.

Jack turns his head towards her in confusion.

"Flores is my last name."

Jack relaxes. An odd feeling tickles in his stomach. To brush it away, he stands up and opens the fridge. There's not much in there; cold beer, canned coke, water and that's it. He quickly grabs a bottle of water and gulps a huge amount, and remains unbothered by the spilling water from his mouth to his chin. Rapunzel grimaces as he exhales dramatically.

He takes out another one and gives it to her. She does the same, except for Jack's exaggerated exhale. He sits down on the couch at the end of Rapunzel's feet.

"So uh...where do you plan to go?" Jack asks with a small voice. Rapunzel looks at him questioningly. "After we...part ways?"

"Don't know," she says simply.

"Why don't you just come with me to East? Doesn't matter if we see Lost Corona or not." No, it does matter if they see Lost Corona—it will change the world's fate.

"I don't even know you."

"Yes you do," Jack says, "I mean there's not much to know about me other than I'm a Lunar travelling the Outlands, looking for the Lost Coronians."

"You don't even know me," she then says.

Jack hesitates and murmurs, "That's why I want to get to know you better."

Rapunzel ceased all her thoughts and processes Jack's words in her mind. Jack getting to know her better is her absolute nightmare—the main reason she want to be separated from him as soon as possible. For when he finds out the truth, only Jack knows what he might do. Despite all those dubious thoughts, there's something aching inside her that wishes they _can_ know each other better.

"To know me is to leave me." Rapunzel says, and Jack looks at her thoughtfully. Jack doesn't even know everything about her yet, and still here he is with her—treating her wound and giving her water. He doesn't know her and he cares for her.

"Dare me."

.


End file.
